


After Hours With The Moon

by nnaolona



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Archie sings, Gen, Jughead listens, One Shot, betty sings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:07:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23789065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nnaolona/pseuds/nnaolona
Summary: It was the day before the Easter holidays. Riverdale High was hosting a concert-type evening, not really a contest. Everyone who wanted could sign up to sing or play or dance. The evening would start with Cheryl and the cheerleaders and end with Josie and the Pussycats. No one really knew who would play in between. Archie would sing at some point. Betty would sing at some point. Jughead would watch from the bleachers.Inspired by "Fine On The Outside" from When Marnie Was There.
Relationships: Archie Andrews & Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	After Hours With The Moon

It was the day before the Easter holidays. Riverdale High was hosting a concert-type evening, not really a contest. Everyone who wanted could sign up to sing or play or dance. The evening would start with Cheryl and the cheerleaders and end with Josie and the Pussycats. No one really knew who would play in between. Archie would sing at some point. Betty would sing at some point. Jughead would watch from the bleachers.

Betty was nervous, to say the least. She was pacing on the football field. She wasn't used to doing that, singing in front of the whole school (at least everyone willing to pay five bucks to attend the evening). Not that Archie was either. But he had already performed a few times, and every time, stage fright was getting smaller and smaller and he was starting to enjoy it. But Betty – she was a ball of nerves – pacing and sighting and pacing. Clinging to her sleeves. Archie wanted her to stop. It was making him more nervous as well, and he didn't need that. He had tried to talk to her, to calm her down, but it hadn't change anything.

They were asked to join the changing rooms, as the rest of the students started arriving. There was a portion of the bleachers reserved for the performers, so they could watch the others while waiting to perform.

"Okay lovelies," Cheryl called. She had organized the whole event with some help from Josie and Betty and Veronica. "I trust you all know the planning for the night on the tip of your fingers, but just in case your tiny little brains can't even remember that, the order has been printed out and taped next to the stage. My River Vixens will start with the grand opening, and of course, the Pussycats will perform last, for the grand finale."

Archie smiled. He liked Cheryl. She was very extravagant. It was funny. She was funny, despite being a little weird.

"We start in about twenty minutes, so please do all your finishing touches and then you can go sit," Cheryl finished, and she clapped her hand.

Archie put his hand on Betty's shoulder and gave what he hoped what a reassuring squeeze.

"I'll keep you a sit," he said.

"Thanks. I'll finish… – she made a small gesture towards her face – and I'll join you."

Archie headed out and sat down in the reserved section if the bleachers. He looked around at the growing crowd and spotted Jughead. He waved at him and got half a smile in response. He got his phone out and texted him.

**U look more nervous than me & im the 1 playing**

To which he got as a response:

**don't want you to embarrass yourself in front of the school**

Archie snorted. The boys kept texting until Betty arrived and sat next to Archie, just before the show started. Archie put his phone away to watch, out of respect. He could feel Betty's nervousness radiating, so he took her hand.

Cheerleaders were okay. It always seemed to Archie that they were doing the same thing over and over, but that was probably just his inexperienced eyes. It was fun to watch, though, except for the music choice. He watched the next few performances with a smile on his face, Betty's hand in his, and her head on his shoulder. He got up two performances before his, to be ready when it was his turn. Nerves were kicking in. Especially when the person before him was Veronica Lodge and she was so really good, and everything about her performance was amazing. The sun had set but it wasn't dark yet, everything had a blue tone to it, Veronica was standing in black and burgundy, with her black hair and make-up, and her smile and her voice.

As Archie went up on stage, she flashed him a smile and murmured "good luck". Once in front of his mike, he looked up at the audience, took a deep breath, found Jughead, found Betty, his eyes went down on his guitar. He started to play and started to sing and kept on playing and kept on singing for Betty's smile and Jughead not-really-a-smile-but-it-doesn't-matter. His song ended and his eyes were down on his guitar. A few claps resonated in the air before everyone joined in. Archie smiled and stepped back, letting the next performer go up on stage.

Archie made his way through the audience and sat next to Jughead.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey. You did great." Jughead smiled at him – a real smile – with stars in his eyes and the world stopped dead on its feet.

"I didn't embarrass myself too much?"

"Not this time. It was nice."

Archie smiled and his eyes went back to the stage. He listened to the performances, kept stealing glances at Betty and Jughead, who notices him and winked ironically at him.

"When is Betty up?" he asked quietly.

"Second to last before the Pussycats. So third to last, I guess."

The night had completely fallen by the time Betty stood on stage. The moon shined on her, the stars shined above her. Archie had seen her just a few minutes ago, but she looked different with all the lights on her. She had a white dress with a sequined top and she had glitter in her hair and glitter in her eyes and her eyes locked up with his and she smiled and the world started to spin again.

She had a guitar and she started to play and to sing and it was the most amazing thing he had ever heard. (Except for the time Jughead had absentmindedly sung along to an Avril Lavigne song Archie was playing on his guitar). He didn't hear her sing often and hadn't heard her play guitar since he had tried tot each her in middle school. It was great. Glorious. More than that, even.

The song in itself was beautiful. The way Betty smiled at the moon and sang "So I just in my room, after hours with the moon and think of who knows my name. Would you cry if I died? Would you remember my face?" it felt way too real and Archie's heart was aching and he wanted to hug her and hold her.

She finished her song looking at the moon, her eyes shining and everyone clapping. Archie wished they weren't. It ruined the beauty of the moment. Betty smiled, bowed, and stepped out.

"Where is she?" Jughead asked as the next performance started and Betty remained hidden from sight. Archie shrugged. Jughead had leaned towards him and the world was slowing, coming to an end, and Archie couldn't breathe.

All lights died right before the Pussycats' entrance. They started, Melody behind her drums, Valerie behind her keyboard, Josie behind her mike, with the moon as their only light source, Josie's voice lost in the stars. And the whole stage lit up at the chorus, and it was flooded with people – the River Vixens, Betty, the Pussycats, all wearing black, all dancing in perfect synch, with Mel and Val and Josie in front, and Josie still singing. And Betty… She had changed. She wore the black version of her previous dress. Looking at her, dancing and smiling… The world was spinning too fast and Archie couldn't breathe.

"Wow," Jughead murmured.

"Wow," Archie echoed.

"Why aren't you with them?" Jughead asked, so low that Archie barely heard him.

"Didn't have a black dress," Archie whispered back, and Jughead laughed and the world spun backward and Archie's heart ached.

The song ended with the girls holding a pose and Betty was shining, all glitter and moonlight; and they were all out of breath, and Archie's heart was aching.

Everyone stood up and clapped and whooped, and the girls smiled and Josie did a little speech, and everyone smiled and the moon was shining and Archie and Jughead were waiting for Betty outside of the changing rooms.

She finally came out and she smiled at them and Archie hugged her because the world was going to fast and he couldn't find his balance. They climbed in Archie's car and Jughead drove and Archie was thankful because he doubted his ability. They drove to Archie's house, grabbed the pizzas on the table under the note from his dad ("thought you might be angry, I'll be home late don't wait for me"), and went into the garage. They sat on the ground.

"Hey, I'll be right back, I'm going to change," Betty said.

"No," Jughead protested. "Don't leave. You look good."

"But I don't want to damage my dress. I'll be right back, I promise."

"Beware the dragon," Archie called after her, and only hear her laugh in response.

When she came back, Jughead and Archie had changed as well, into oversized t-shirts and plaid pajama pants.

"I managed to sneak out the backdoor as the car arrived in the driveway," Betty said. She was wearing plaid pajama pants as well, with a lilac shirt. Riverdale's plaid invasion was a thing, even though no one wanted to believe Archie.

(Seriously, though. Everyone wore flannel and plaid pajama. It was suspicious.)

"What was that, at the end?" Archie asked, and he took a slice of pizza.

"Oh, that… Uh, Cheryl and Josie wanted to make something different for the ending, so they sought out the Vixens, and me because I helped organize everything, and, yeah, it was fun. I hope you liked it."

"It was fucking great," Jughead said, and Betty smiled. "You did great. Both of you. I feel like a very proud mom."

"That's weird, but.. okay?"

"Shut up, Arch. Betty, did you write that song?"

"I wish," Betty answered. "But no, it's from a Ghibli movie."

"I don't think I've seen that one."

"I don't think I've seen any," Archie commented.

"You have, Arch. You literally own a physical copy of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away."

"Doesn't mean I've seen them."

"I have memories of watching them with you, Arch. You were terrified of both."

Betty laughs.

"I don't remember seeing them."

"Don't worry, Arch, we'll watch them again with you," Betty said. She squeezed his hand and Archie smiled at her. The song floated in his head still. _Would you care if I died? Would you remember my face?_ Yes, he would.

"That song you sang," he stared, "it sounded so… personal. Like you're feeling everything you sing."

"I…" she looks down for a second. "Yeah, probably. I don't know. When she sings it, it makes me feel everything she says. It's like… it's like my Northern Downpour."

"Please don't joke about Northern Downpour," Jughead immediately said. "Anyway, you've never sat alone at lunch."

"No, you're right –"

"And you've never run away."

"No, not that either –"

"And I hope that you know that whenever you feel lost or confused or not alright, we're here for you."

"How do you remember so much of the lyrics?" Betty asked.

"I'm a good listener." Jug winks at her, and they laugh, and Archie's heart was not aching anymore – or, it was, but in a different way, in an about-to-burst-from-love way, in an I-love-you-so-much-I-want-to-cry way.


End file.
